Photo of Lego creation before it was stolen

Photo of Lego creation before it was stolen

FREMONT (BCN) -- A Fremont man whose elaborate Lego creations depicting San  Francisco landmarks were stolen about two weeks ago has received most of them  back, the majority unfortunately in pieces, the man's wife said Thursday.

The highly detailed scenes, created by 49-year-old Mark Benz and  valued at $6,000, included renditions of Ghirardelli Square, the Palace of  Fine Arts and the Hyde Street Pier, and had been on display at the Museum of  American Heritage in Palo Alto.

The night after they were brought home from the exhibit, they were  stolen from the Benz's pickup truck, which had been parked in their driveway,  according to his wife Jannet.

On Tuesday, Fremont police informed the couple that the Legos had  been found inside another pickup truck that had been stolen in Fremont and  turned up in Castro Valley, presumably abandoned, Jannet Benz said.

She said about two-thirds of the creations were recovered, but all  of them were either slightly damaged or completely in pieces.

"There's nothing that remains intact, at least of the stuff that's  come back," she said.

Benz said that the thieves have still not been caught.

Mark Benz said he plans to rebuild as many of the models as he can  in order to display them at a Lego fan convention in Fremont in April.

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